Sixth Sense
by upsidedownboat
Summary: Inuyasha is gone. My magic is gone. The well has closed over, and I can't get back. My mother wants me to live a normal life. Part of me is starting to believe that I imagined all the magic; until black feathers start to appear, and only I can see them.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This fanfiction is dedicated to DarkAngel048 because without the prompts I never would have put Kagome and Dark in the same story.**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**CHAPTER ONE**

The dark feather twisted and twirled between my fingers as I lay there, my four poster bed almost swallowing me in its soft mattress and sheets. The feather matched the dark tendrils of my hair that were splayed out across my pillow, as if a toddler had dumped a paint can upside down on my bed and left a giant splatter of dark colour there.

The second feather. What could it mean? I sighed wistfully, confused. Ever since the well had closed over and slapped me away like a hormonal teenage girl, I hadn't been able to get back through. Inuyasha was gone. Everyone was gone. I was alone.

They were all figments of imagination – that's what my psychiatrist said. Bullocks. I knew they'd all been real.

When I'd described of the thrilling adventures and experiences I'd had with Inuyasha, my psychiatrist's mellow brown eyes had become so round, you could see more white than you could brown. What can I say? I know how to tell a story.

I may have added in as many gory details as I could from when Inuyasha sliced open a demon or two but hey, that was part of the story as well, right?

"Kagome?"

Oh, go away…

"What Souta?" There was a small intake of breath followed by a frustrated sounding sigh.

"Why have you got your hand in the air?" He asked. I brought the feather down to my face and brushed it along my cheek, sighing quietly as it tickled my skin. Souta stared at me as if I had suddenly sprouted tentacles, and I looked at him. Could he really not see it?

"What do you want?" He blinked and rubbed his arm – he always did that when he was uncomfortable.

"Mum wants you."

"Mum can come up here and get me herself." I tore my gaze away from Souta, angry. Nobody bought my story anymore; the well house, Feudal Japan, Inuyasha – even though they'd seen him. They were trying to make me forget. Trying to force me back into a normal life. Mum was concerned about my future. She wanted me at school and passing with flying colours. She wanted me to get a job and settle down with a nice boy.

Bully for her.

Souta squirmed at my bedroom doorway, rubbing his arm more vigorously. "Fine," I huffed. My brother shut my door with a clunk and I heard him scatter up the hall like a mouse running from a hungry cat. Typical Souta couldn't handle a little bit of friction.

I swung my legs over the side of my bed and slid my way over to my desk. Recently I had come across a really beautiful mirror, tucked away in the corner of a dusty antique shop. The store owner was happy to be free of it, and since it was cheap I bought it. The mirror was as clear and shiny as water, and around the edges were swirly patterns and various flowers with jewels lining the petals; of course, since the mirror was so cheap, there was no way the jewels were actually real. Just glass.

I think some part of me was hoping the mirror was like a gateway to Narnia, except in my case it would be Inuyasha's world. So far, it had only been a mirror and that was probably how it was going to remain, but to believe that completely would mean casting away all hope of seeing everybody again, and so a small part of me never believed, but always hoped.

I pulled my hair into a messy bun on the back of my head, and as an extra touch I threaded the black feather into the bun; I twisted and stared at my reflection, trying to view it from a few different angles. The feather seemed to glimmer, and I smiled as the sun caught it, sending various greens and blues ricocheting off the glass. The feather was indeed beautiful.

I'd kept the first one, too, but it lay somewhere under my bed, forgotten. I wouldn't be surprised if it was crumpled and wrecked now. Oh well.

I turned on my socked heel and trudged down the steps to the kitchen. I was really not looking forward to this. My mother often thought it best to have little chats with me about my "imagination". I figured her giving me another pretty black feather that shone bright colours was her way of saying sorry; pretty pathetic apology present. I would've gone for a laptop computer or a time machine. Come on mum, buy my love.

"Kagome." I let a smile ghost across my lips before I folded myself into a chair. I stared at my mother cooking soup over our stove when she looked over at me again, the crinkles around her eyes in full-throttle as she smiled sadly at me. Really, it killed me when she did that. I was angry at her for trying to stamp Inuyasha out of my life, but when she looked so damn sad it was hard to be irritated with her.

"Hi," I said awkwardly.

"You look lovely," she complimented. I was wearing a long, utterly-too-big-for-me t-shirt and a loose pair of shorts. Accompanied by, of course, a pair of knee-high socks. My hair wasn't done, I hadn't brushed my teeth and I hadn't got any makeup on to hide the bags under my eyes. Not exactly my definition of "lovely" but I'd roll with it.

"What's up?"

She bit her lip. "Actually, I was hoping you'd take over making dinner," she said. I stared at her, waiting for the punch line.

"I have a date and I need you to look after Souta tonight." Well, not the punch line I was expecting, but it was enough to choke me with surprise for a moment. My mum? Dating?

"It's just soup… it's not that hard…" She was beginning to go all jittery. It was what happened when she was uncomfortable or nervous. It was only now that I realised she was wearing a nice outfit and had actually applied makeup to her face, giving it a glow that I didn't realise was possible. I should have felt happy for her. Happy that she was getting over the grief of her past – over dad – and trying to move on… But somehow, all that I felt was my stomach as it flopped uncomfortably and suddenly made me feel sick.

"I'll do dinner." My voice sounded slightly strangled as I took over the stove. Mum passed me the soup ladle and briefly our hands brushed against one another; she jumped away in shock, as if suddenly electrified.

"What was that?" Her eyes were wide – even wider still thanks to the mascara on her lashes – and she looked a little fearful as she stared down at my hand. I'd felt nothing.

"What are you talking about?"

She swallowed and steadied herself. "It was nothing. I'm probably just nervous," she laughed apprehensively. There was a knock at the door which abruptly distracted her, forcing her attention away from me. I sighed, staring down into the soup as I stirred it. It was almost ready - so much for "cooking".

"Hey mum," I called after her. She turned back to me, slightly confused. "The, uh…" I used to be so close to my mother. It was hard to believe that I'd driven a wedge between us. Guess I was just stubborn – or I wasn't willing to forget Inuyasha, the first boy I'd fallen for. (And wouldn't ever forget.)

"Thanks for the feather." There. I said it. I had acknowledged the fact that she had sent me an apology present. We were on the road to recovery.

She paused. "What feather?"

Or not.

I pointed somewhat dramatically at my head where the feather stuck obviously out of my hair. She followed my pointing finger and her face suddenly became worried. "The feather in my hair," I said.

She shook her head and walked backwards to the front door, unlocking it with a click. "I didn't give you a feather, darling," she answered. Then, as an escape from the conversation, she turned to meet the man waiting for her at the door with a smile, leaving me standing behind her pointing at my head as the soup began to bubble on the stove.

The feather couldn't be seen, by either Souta or my mother. It shone colourfully when the sun hit it, and yet it was solid midnight black to the naked eye. Weird would be a slight understatement.

"Bye Kagome, make sure to feed Souta and put him to bed." She left with her date and the door closed behind her with a neat click.

"Bye," I called back weakly. I stared down at the soup on the stove and let the rhythm of stirring hypnotise me. Silence settled on my shoulders like a heavy weight, and I was suddenly aware of the pounding noise that my heart was making against my chest. I hadn't felt like this since I was in the Feudal Era. The fear, the adrenaline, the magic.

"Kagome?" Souta's voice shocked me as if I'd just clenched my fist over a naked electrical wire, and I jumped, dropping the soup ladle to the kitchen floor. I ignored its clang, but he winced in surprise.

"Is dinner ready?" He said quietly, eyes wide and ready for me to yell at him. He seemed surprised when I just nodded and held an empty bowl out to him; he took it and busied himself with dinner.

By the time I got to the bottom of the stairs, my legs were shaking and my hands were trembling. I managed to scale them and reach my bedroom before I collapsed to my knees, the rough carpet digging into my skin. I tore the feather out of my hair and let it go, watching it float as if caught in a breeze as it finally landed gently on the floor in front of me.

My lip trembled. I stared at it. I was the only one who could see it – touch it. Maybe I was crazy.

Sobbing silently, I crawled over to my bed and pulled myself up onto it, curling into a ball on my side as I cried into my pillow. Inuyasha was gone, everyone was gone, I couldn't get back to the Feudal Era. I couldn't access my magic anymore – if it even existed in the first place. Some part of me, deep down inside, believed that maybe I had in fact imagined it all. What was there to back up my memories? Just a couple of mental images, no photos, nothing.

But I refused to let that dark part of me take over, because if it did I would drive myself crazy. Inuyasha was real. I loved him. He couldn't be a figment of my imagination.

I lay in bed, still curled in a ball and rocked myself to sleep, not caring about anything except the past.

**AN: Well, that's chapter one. :) REVIEW. Because reviews are awesome.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: *Tips hat to DarkAngel048* Thanks goes out to everyone who reviewed because put simply: you're legends.**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter. :)**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**CHAPTER TWO**

Somebody save me~!

And no, I don't mean that as a Smallville reference. I mean it in a very literal sense, because I have managed to figure something out: I have a stalker.

I've now acquired three black feathers; it's scary. Every time I touch them, they make my fingers tingle and send a warm tremor up my spine – which frankly, shouldn't happen. I shouldn't be excited from touching a feather. I shouldn't be anticipating the next feather. And I shouldn't be keeping the feathers, either.

It's sad, but true.

Last night I woke up shivering, my pillow was drenched and my face stiff from crying. My eyes were puffy and I had the beginnings of a headache, and I let out a relieved sigh when I realised Souta had put himself to sleep.

Nothing had changed and was as I left it. I slowly pushed myself up and out of my bed, my footsteps silent as I walked across the floor in socks. I refused to flick the light switch on, because the dark felt soothing. Peaceful. It had ever since I realised I would never see Inuyasha again. If everything stayed dark, I could imagine him here with me; I remembered his scent – leafy and earthy, the natural smell of the forest – and I remembered his face. In the dark, he could be hiding and watching over me. The darkness was a cloak of safety for my emotions.

In the light, I could see everything; I could see it as far as it stretched, and as soon as it ended. I saw colour, shape, movement. But nothing was the same as Inuyasha's eyes – golden, honey. Nothing could ever match them. It made every bone in my body ache when I thought of never seeing him again. Weeks after the well had closed, I still went and jumped in it, sitting there for hours in hope that I would eventually be sucked in again.

But nothing had happened.

Nothing mysterious, exciting or adventurous ever happened anymore. My life had been sucked dry like nectar from a flower. There was no sweetness, no flavour left to it.

Until the feathers.

Another one appeared today, and I have finally linked their existence to another person. Someone else who may be able to see them. Someone who can prove I am not insane. (Hopefully.)

I fell into a very uncomfortable sleep last night after wandering restlessly around the dark house for several hours. It was when I woke up that I decided I needed something to do, something that could bring some colour into my life and distract me from the feathers and their mystery.

I left at mid-morning, calling a hasty goodbye to Souta and mum as I left. It was a mild day, the sun constantly ducking behind white fluffy clouds and causing the light to blip like the sound of a live heart monitor. The slight wind picked up the corners of my baby blue dress and made me wish I had worn shorts instead, but I waved the thought off.

I needed something cheery. The colour of my clothing usually reflected my mood – yesterday I wore dull colours, for obvious reasons. Today I would be light and free, just like my dress was going to be. It clung to my chest in a v-shaped neckline, and slowly became looser as it hit my thighs. I also wore flat shoes that were comfortable and easy to run in, if need be – I had spent too much time chasing demons in the Feudal Era and the fashion sense that went with that kind of clung to me.

Old habits die hard, I guess.

Muffled chatter began to bubble up and fill the silence as I walked past a nearby café. Everybody was seated in the outside area, spread over the small tables and chairs in groups or couples and laughing as they drank warm mugs of coffee or ate a late breakfast. My heart made a sad tug inside my chest and I swept my gaze away – I didn't want to acknowledge the loneliness. It only made me feel worse. A slight breeze blew past suddenly and swept my hair off my shoulders; I closed my eyes as it passed over me and paused, standing still.

The rough rustling of a newspaper pulled me back to reality, and my eyes popped open. A man – no, teenager – was seated at a small table, alone, struggling with a newspaper as he frowned at it. The breeze died down and the paper finally settled; he let it go with one hand and patted his hair down – to me it didn't look very different. It shone deep purple in the sunlight, cropped short at the back with long free strands dangling at the front. It stuck up regardless of his attempt at taming it.

When I realised he was carefully looking at me over his paper, I blushed slightly; his eyes were a deep purple as well, cautious but interested. A slow smile curled on his lips, when suddenly he frowned and stared down at the table. I heard him whisper an annoyed "shut up" and I began to walk again, a little faster this time.

I felt my heart leap into my throat as I picked up a swift walking pace. What had just happened? It was like my senses had leapt into magic-overdrive and my adrenaline had suddenly started sprinting down my veins. I shivered – but it wasn't from the cold – and then I sighed, deep and long.

I was so tightly wound that I was becoming paranoid, looking at strangers in the small hope of reigniting the past and its magic. I would have hoped that guy hadn't thought me strange for practically running away like I had, but he was telling himself to shut up when he hadn't said anything which told me that he had an egg in the crazy basket, and not me for once.

Point for me.

Finally, a little breathless, I reached the shop that I had planned to visit all along. Bea's Flowers. A lovely old woman named Beatrice ran the small store, and she took the time whenever she could to stand behind the register and greet customers. I loved visiting this place, and she knew me well. From behind the counter I watched as her face pulled into a smile, the crinkles around her eyes very noticeable as her eyes sparkled. She had looked the same since I was six – I swear the woman didn't age.

"Kagome," she said warmly. I smiled and greeted her. She let me browse through the array of flowers and bouquets that were displayed throughout the store, watching me like a grandmother would her grandchildren. It always made me happy to come here, but I never had any money to buy anything.

After twenty minutes of wandering about through the many colours and scents of flowers, I was about to leave when Beatrice called out for me to wait. I turned around and approached the counter, confused.

"These were left for you," she said, handing me a small bouquet of lilacs. They smelled sweet, and were coloured shades of beautiful purple. I took them awkwardly, holding them at arm's length, unsure of what to do with them.

"But I don't have any money."

Beatrice shook her small head, sighing at me in amusement. "A young gentleman left them for you two days ago."

Probably Hojo. I sighed. "Okay, I'll take them." I turned to leave, holding the flowers closely to me so I wouldn't drop them, when Beatrice touched my shoulder gently. I jumped.

"And he left this. He said you'd understand, but I don't know why he would leave you a blank piece of card with nothing on it…"

I froze, almost dropping the flowers by mistake. I quickly took the card and thanked her, reassuring her that I would come and visit again. She remarked that my face had gone very pale and it looked like I'd seen a ghost, but I'd ignored her, putting the shop behind me as fast as I could.

The card didn't have anything written on it. But it did have a black feather taped to it. I stared at it mesmerized as I walked, watching as the sunlight bounced off it glinting blue and green and purple. I was scared. But I was also intrigued and mystified at the same time.

It only occurred to me later that I probably had a stalker, but right at that moment it was as if someone was trying to tell me something – tell me that my magic hadn't just disappeared. It was still there. And everything in my past had indeed been a reality. My head was just beginning to connect the dots when suddenly I was falling. I didn't even have enough time to cry out, and then suddenly I was caught, and I stopped with a jolt and almost dropped the lilacs.

Slightly in shock, I stared up into those deep purple eyes at my reflection, and I felt hair tickle my face – but it wasn't mine. I realised some mysterious stranger had me pressed against his body, and was holding me tightly there, and it was safe to say I freaked out a little and pushed him away.

"Don't touch me," I said, a little breathless. It was hard to be mean-sounding when your face was as red as a tomato with embarrassment. I quickly slipped the card and feather into the pocket of my dress and took a step back, realizing his eyes had followed my movements very carefully – his gaze lingered on my pocket. If he tried to take advantage of me, I could always throw the lilacs in his face as a distraction and run away. After all, he probably followed me after I passed the café.

"Stay safe, beautiful," was all he said, and his voice was low and tender and vibrated gently across my skin; I shuddered, my eyes wide, and then he turned and left. He clutched his arms against his stomach as he went, almost as if he was trying to hold himself together, and I watched him until he disappeared around some godforsaken corner.

I realised I was almost mimicking him, except I was also holding a bouquet of lilacs and my heart had leapt into my throat. I pressed my forearm over my stomach and held the bouquet of flowers close to me as I walked the rest of the way home, my footsteps sounding like they echoed as I slapped them one after another on the concrete footpath.

The adrenaline was wearing off as I got to my doorstep, and I kicked off my shoes and disappeared up to my room, managing to evade my mother who was busying herself with dusting. I placed the flowers gently on my desk next to the mirror, and I stared at my reflection.

My face was neutral like a robot's, and I watched as each emotion flashed behind my eyes and skipped my face, too erratic and quick for me to formulate expressions.

I was nervous, scared, intrigued, angry, and lost. All at once.

Who was that stranger and why did he care about my safety – and more importantly, why did I feel drawn to him in the same way that magic always drew me? Maybe it was the feathers, and the fact that their number was growing and their magic was increasing – it was ridiculous that I was referring to them now as if they were living. Or maybe I was just scared and confused and slightly crazy.

Everything in my head clashed and fought for thinking space, but in the end my eyes went blank and I stared at myself, only one question looming at the forefront of my mind while all the others murmured in the background.

What the hell had just happened?

**AN: The appearance of Dark. ;) But why the feathers and what is their purpose? All will be revealed! :) Review, review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: *Gestures obviously to DarkAngel048* Oh yes, you may or may not have noticed, but some of the words in this fanfic are spelled slightly differently – it's because I'm an Aussie, and we Australians like adding the u in colour and the like. If you had noticed, then congrats. If you hadn't, then you probably will now. :D**

**A big standing ovation goes out to everybody who has reviewed this story so far - anonymous or not. :) Thank you.**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**CHAPTER THREE**

Everything clicked into place that afternoon – well, not everything exactly, but part of the mystery of the feathers did. I found out what they symbolised.

Well, when I thought about it the achievement didn't really seem to make much of a difference, but I guess it helped me bring them more into contrast. When something has meaning, it suddenly has a greater sense of gravity. It did to me, anyway.

The smell of the lilacs was beginning to fill up the room and make my nose stuffy with the smell, so I got up from my bed and opened the window to air out my room, laying my hands to rest on the windowsill as I did so. It was that moment when I was kind of hit with an epiphany-like thing.

My eyes widened, I gasped slightly, and my hands clenched the windowsill; I stared down at my hands, and then over at the three feathers on my desk – I'd collected them and put them together with the lilacs, and my eyes lingered on them, unable to look away.

The first feather – I didn't remember even receiving it. I didn't even remember where I saw it for the first time only that it was suddenly there on my carpet, a stark contrast of black against the dull white. The feathers symbolised senses; the first one was sight. It was almost as if I could feel the magic on them – but for some reason I had to hold on to it. Without me to centre it, it rejected me. The feather could have been in my room for days, possibly acclimatizing to the taste of my magic before I finally held on to enough of it to see – so to speak.

The second one had appeared on my windowsill, a place I ran my hands along every day, and with the feather came a tingling sensation; it made me want to touch it, run my fingers over it and brush it along my skin – that had been what I was doing when Souta had burst into my room, before my mother had gone on her date.

Now today, with the lilacs. That feather _had _to be smell. If not, I'd eat my slipper. Well, I wouldn't because I don't even own slippers, but that was beside the point.

I had three feathers, so there was only two more to go. Each feather symbolised a sense, which meant there was only taste and hearing left.

"Kagome?"

I struggled to swallow an undignified "eep" as my mother gently knocked on my bedroom door, and I forced my face to be neutral as I made eye contact with her; I tried to get my eyes to glaze over, and yet still look alert – it was the thing that cops always did to make you feel better and not suspect anything when they had a zillion thoughts flying through their head – I don't think I managed it very well because she shot me a peculiar look.

"Hi," I said shortly.

"Ooh, those are pretty." Yay, distraction. "Bea gave them to me," I said, letting my clenched hand relax enough so I could let go of the windowsill and sit lazily back on the bed. My mother frowned at this piece of news.

"Beatrice doesn't just give anyone flowers." There was a pause as I watched her connect the dots; her eyes lit up. "Did a boy leave them for you?" She sounded all excited and a smile was forming on her face.

"Maybe." I didn't know for sure, right? Besides, I couldn't exactly say, 'Oh yes, they're from my friendly neighbourhood stalker.' Maybe seemed like a safe answer.

"Oh, Kagome!" She grinned at me. She looked so happy at the prospect of a new boy in my life that I suddenly felt nauseated. I hadn't forgotten about Inuyasha, but she clearly wanted me to. She must've seen something change in my face, because she turned her excitement level down a few notches. Naw.

"What'd you come up to see me for?" I asked. It's not like she paid regular visits, what with me being an angry teenager with mental problems and all. The last part isn't true, by the way.

"The café a few blocks from here is looking for employees. Since it's summer and you haven't anything to do" – usually I'd be off in the Feudal Era but she conveniently left that part out, go figure – "then I thought you could get a summer job." It didn't seem like a bad idea, actually. Who knows, maybe working would take my mind off things? Probably not, but as the old saying went: You don't know until you try.

I found myself nodding. "I'll swing by tomorrow."

She smiled her approval, said a few noncommittal things, and then left me alone. I sighed in annoyance and got to my feet, swinging my door closed with a click. She always forgot to shut my door behind her; it annoyed the heck out of me. Maybe it was her way of subtly telling me that the door to my future was always open, and all I had to do was step forward and embrace it.

Cheesy.

I let out a sigh and fell backwards onto my bed sheets with a "whump" sort of noise. Ever since this morning I couldn't forget about that guy. He'd saved me from falling, smiled and called me beautiful, and then run away like he was barely holding himself together. Was he genuinely concerned? Or was he a crazy? Or maybe it was all a practical joke?

Knowing my luck, he'd be crazy _and_ it would all be a practical joke. Though, that didn't explain why he watched me put the feather and card into my dress pocket. To everyone else, it would have only looked like a blank card – so why was he so interested?

The only thing I'm really achieving is asking myself a lot of rhetorical questions.

Frustrated, I crumpled the soft sheet under me into my clenched fists and forcefully rolled myself up so it felt like I was wrapped up in a tight cocoon. When I truly felt like a caterpillar, I twisted so I could see the feathers on my desk – my mother hadn't noticed them, go figure – and frowned, trying to decipher their purpose. I caught my reflection in the mirror; my hair dangled over the edge of my bed like tentacles, and my face was beginning to turn red.

Despite myself, I began to laugh, and once I started I couldn't stop. Maybe that was a good thing, or maybe it was the first sign of going crazy – manic laughter. It seemed to happen to all the bad guys in cartoons. They always had really cool laughs. Mine just sounded silly. And wrapped up in a blanket, I wondered why any employer would want me.

But I would go to the café tomorrow and find out anyway. It was worth a shot, right?

**AN: I hope you've all had a very Merry Christmas, and I also wish you a safe and happy New Year. :) Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: *Points to DarkAngel048* Here's chapter four. Oh, I'm going to be away for at least two weeks ("away" as in, not able to access a computer at all) and so therefore you'll have to wait a little longer than usual for the next chapter. I hope you don't mind; I'll publish it as soon as time allows me to, I promise. :) In the meantime, enjoy chapter four.**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**CHAPTER FOUR**

I'd always laughed at that group on Facebook: I don't like the term "kidnapping". I prefer to call it Surprise Adoption.

Well, I wasn't laughing now.

Yesterday, my mother had told me to go to the café because they were hiring (the café I'd passed when I went to Bea's Flowers) because she thought a summer job would do me good. So had I. I'd dressed up for the occasion; a royal blue dress with a low neckline, but not low enough to be considered un-employ-worthy, a pair of delicate yet strong sandals with little sparkly bits on them, and I'd tied my hair up in two neat black plaits on either side of my head. I'd even gone to the trouble of painting my toenails blue to match the dress, and I'd also thrown on a chunky yet sophisticated-looking necklace.

I was walking along the street, letting the breeze play with the ends of my dress, when suddenly a pair of hands appeared from nowhere and yanked me into a small and frankly unnoticeable alleyway. There was hardly anyone around to witness my disappearance, and the only evidence that told anyone I had been there was my abandoned résumé that was floating away across the street in the wind. I was as good as gone.

I was about to scream when a grubby hand pressed over my mouth and I inhaled the unruly scent of cigarettes and alcohol and sweat up through my nose. I almost vomited.

"Shut it girlie," a grubby man breathed into my face. He was missing an incisor tooth and the rest were yellowing or brown already. His face was covered in grit and stubble – he clearly hadn't shaved or bathed in some time. I gave him my best bone-chilling glare (I used it on Inuyasha when he got mad about Kouga, it always worked).

For a moment, his ugly face showed surprise, and then he laughed at me. I would've spat at him, but he still had his hand pressed over my mouth. If I got home I'd have to ask mum to take me to get a tetanus shot. I had no idea where this guy's hand had been.

Oh God, I'd already used the word _if._ Part of me had given up already. Fruitlessly I tried to struggle, but he held me down easily, as if he'd done this before; part of my stomach clenched when I figured this wasn't a new experience for him – just a new face. What the hell was he going to do with me?

Fear set in, and he must've seen it in my eyes, because his lips curled into a slow smile. He looked like a snake that knew its prey was cornered and was taking its sweet time to strike it dead. I just hope I didn't end up like the snake's prey. He produced a rag from his pocket and before I knew it he had stuffed it in my mouth, preventing me from talking or screaming or making much noise at all. I didn't even remember him removing his hand to shove in the gag.

Angry with myself I tried to struggle again, and moaned painfully into the gag as he struck me in the stomach. All this time I'd spent with Inuyasha and I still hadn't learnt how to defend myself against my enemies – of course, a giant sword probably would've helped. All I had was my body, which was currently in pain and partly tied up and didn't have demon blood flowing through it to make me stronger…

"Stop struggling or I'll have to tie your ankles up, too," the dirty man said. I blinked tears of pain from my eyes and growled into my gag, shooting him another glare with white hot daggers attached. He laughed again. It bounced off him like water off a duck's back. Ugh.

I suddenly froze, my eyes wide and fearful. I felt his hand tighten in the fabric of my dress as began to push it up my thighs, and my stomach began to clench and unclench in terror. I would prefer to be dead than experience this. His other hand slid up the top of my thigh, gentle, as if he was drawing on experience – I did not want to think about that.

I leaned back into the wall and bent as far away from him as possible, wishing I could magically sink through the wall and disappear. I tried several times to scream, but resulted in whimpers of pain into my gag as I was pinched hard on my thighs and began to bleed. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing, praying, that this was all a nightmare. It wasn't happening to me. I'd lost enough already. So far I had managed to keep my mind, but after this I might not even have that.

My eyes opened.

The dirty, horrible man's weight was suddenly not on top of me anymore; he was gone, his smell washed away. He was lying several feet away, spread eagled on his back in the middle of the small alleyway. He seemed to have been knocked unconscious but I hadn't moved, and my hands were also still tied behind my back. Even though my feet were free he'd been sitting on them, and I hadn't been able to do anything.

"I thought I told you to stay safe," a familiar voice sighed. Again, his words brushed my skin and raised the hairs on my arms, vibrating through my body. I managed to control my heart before it leapt into my throat – if I could control the magic before it overwhelmed me, I could ride it.

The purple haired guy from the other day bent down on one knee and carefully untied my wrists. As soon as they were free, I brought my hands up and pulled out the gag. My vision blurred before me and everything took on an abstract fuzziness – I realised I was crying and I hastily wiped my eyes to try and rid of the tears.

"You're safe, you're fine…" The purple-haired man (teenager) soothed me; his gentle voice caressed my skin and made me shiver. I hadn't met anyone who could do that to me with their voice – he sounded like he had many a year behind him, judging by the practice it must have taken to get it to reach just the right level; neither scratchy nor perverse.

"I…" I tried to speak but my throat was thick with tears, and my efforts made me sound like I was choking. I couldn't stop sobbing, and my shoulders began to shake. He held me securely to his chest, his chin resting gently in my hair until I calmed down enough to pull away from him and lift my eyes to look at his face.

"Dark," he said gently.

"Huh?"

He laughed softly, his deep eyes filled with sympathy. "Dark Mousy, my name." Oh. I felt like a tool.

"I'm Kagome," I said. I wiped my eyes with the palm of my hand and let out a shuddering sigh – he let me go and held his arms around me gently, not touching, but just to ensure that if I couldn't stand properly then he could catch me. I think I was half in shock from what had just happened, but I'd witnessed so much blood and gore and horror with Inuyasha it was hard to determine why it was happening to me.

"I can stand," I said stubbornly as he tried to hold me up. I jerked away from his arm and almost fell over, but he caught me before I lost my balance and again I waved him away.

I glanced at him over my shoulder and realised he had his arms crossed loosely over his chest and was watching me carefully, one eyebrow raised. I blushed as he held a hand out to me, offering.

"At least take my arm and let me walk you home." He smiled. I paused, unsure. What would happen if I let him touch me? I could feel – more accurately, taste – the magic rolling around in my head that was emanating from him. Was he really strong? Could I hold him off? He stood there, completely at ease, waiting for me to acknowledge his outstretched hand.

I sighed and let his warm fingers curl around mine. I pulled him close to my side and he linked his arm with mine, pulling me in line with his body as we walked. It was slow, and I felt awkward making conversation; he seemed at ease, rather pleasantly walking alongside me as if he hadn't kicked a man unconscious and saved me. I found my eyes wandering over him – it was what any girl would do when a good looking guy saved them, right?

He wore black boots and tight black jeans that clung to his legs – they were held up by a belt with a silver belt buckle. No pattern, no picture, simply a square belt buckle. His shirt was a tight yet soft vest that clung to his skin and outlined the muscles of his torso, leaving his arms bare. He wore a loose black cord around his neck the hung in multiple loops against his skin where the vest dipped in a low neckline down the front of his chest. His ears were pierced; two silver studs in each.

It would be just my luck that he'd be gay.

My sandal caught the edge of a piece of pavement that was sticking up, askew from the rest of the footpath, and I gasped slightly as I almost fell over. His arm kept me upright, but I bit my lip in pain as fresh droplets of blood welled in the pinch marks that had been inflicted on my legs. Dark was suddenly in front of me, still holding me upright but staring down at my legs in concern.

"I don't know if I want to go home," I said, clenching my teeth. Really, all I was supposed to be doing today was dropping off a résumé and simply walking back home; how was I supposed to explain to my mum and Souta about what had happened to me in the alley? Besides, I don't think I could really talk about much right now anyway.

"Where?" He asked quietly.

"There's a park not far from here," I said. Again, he was at my side, pulling me close so that I was pressed against the warm line of his body. His magic filled my head like a swirling storm cloud, and I began to feel dizzy as well as in pain. Just peachy.

"Please hurry up."

He did as I asked, and before long I was sitting at the bottom of one of the park slides. I leaned back and pressed my hands against the hard, firm plastic, my eyes closed as I puffed up my cheeks and breathed out a big sigh of air. When the storm cloud of Dark's magic began to thin in my head, I finally opened my eyes, blinking a few times and readjusting myself so I was slightly slumped forward; my legs protested as the cuts stung, but I tried to ignore them.

"Are you feeling any better?" Dark asked me finally, his voice tickling my skin. It had to be magic. No normal un-magical person could cause that reaction in me, I was sure. I bit my lip, and when I looked down at the ground Dark moved so he was kneeling in front of me, close enough that I could feel the warmth coming off his body. He slid his fingers gently around my own and kissed the back of my hand slowly; I blushed.

I pulled my hand out of his grip. "I'm better when you don't touch me," I said quickly. I felt suddenly nasty as he stood up again, dropping my hand as he did so. I hadn't meant to be mean.

"That's not what I meant…" I mumbled.

"You're stronger than I thought," he mused. I met his gaze and his purple eyes were thoughtful and impressed. I frowned – what had I done to suddenly cause those emotions in this stranger?

"I think you should go." Sure, he'd saved my life, but then he'd kissed me. He'd also been at the café talking to himself and reading a newspaper, and then he'd followed me after I'd been given those lilacs. And in all truth, I didn't know whether or not I could trust him.

He sighed, his hands going behind his head so he appeared relaxed and unthreatening. I pressed my forearms to my stomach and frowned.

"You probably wouldn't believe me, but I'm actually protecting you," he said calmly, his gaze steady as he met my eyes.

I smiled politely. "Okay, protecting is done. You've saved my life, thank you. Off you go, now."

If I didn't know any better I'd say he looked hurt. Then he suddenly frowned, his expression turning angry as he stared at me, but didn't really comprehend that I was sitting in front of him; it looked like he was arguing with himself. His expression changed several times before he finally blinked and saw me again, and by the time that had happened, I was more or less freaked out that present company was a crazy person.

Clearly, it must have shown in my face because he suddenly sunk his hands into the pockets of his black pants and shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"You are most welcome." There was a pause. "Please – " he pulled a lollipop with a small feather taped to it from his pocket and held it out to me "– take this," he said. I was so surprised that all I managed to do was stare dumbfounded at his extended hand. Finally, he took a small step forwards and curled my fingers around both feather and lollipop.

"I know you probably think I'm crazy, but please trust me. I'm here to protect you." He smiled and his eyes sparkled.

I stared up at him and yanked my hand back against my stomach, pressing it there tightly to avoid more magic leeching into me from his touch. "You're my stalker," I blabbed; immediately after my intelligent revelation, I blushed deep crimson.

He laughed, low and humorous, and the soft purple strands of his hair bobbed as he did so. Like it had with his voice, the sound of his laughter seemed to wash over me in a refreshing wave, making my skin tickle and my heart pound; it was a good feeling, one I hadn't felt in a very long while.

He held his hands out almost like one would when surrendering. "I am simply Dark," he said, then with an added grin, "I am not a stalker."

Then before I could react he took a step forwards and pressed his warm lips softly to the back of my hand again. And again, I blushed, but this time he did not remain to trade remarks and cryptic clues to his existence, and instead he turned abruptly on his heel muttering to himself as he quickly walked away and disappeared. Until I realised that he had actually gone, I suddenly relaxed, my muscles unclenching as I sighed deeply. I hadn't realised how tightly wound I'd been when Dark was here. Maybe it was his magic? It was a theory.

With a hiss, I pushed myself to my feet and began to hobble home. Really it was easier when Dark had been there to securely hold my arm and stop me from almost falling over– now, it was just awkward. Though I managed, and I made it to my front door. I succeeded in shoving the lollipop and feather into a pocket in my dress before my mum hastily opened the door. When she saw that my thighs were bleeding her eyes widened as she stressed and she began to prepare a warm towel in order to sponge my skin clean.

I didn't really focus on the hot water as my mother cleaned my skin, though I did hiss in pain occasionally. The thing I did focus on, was the feather in my pocket; it was the equivalent of someone throwing an ice cube down the back of your shirt – it was painfully obvious and you just wanted to curl your fingers around it to prevent it from touching your body.

In order to concentrate on not ripping the feather apart, I opened the lollipop and stuck it in my mouth; it also prevented my pained hissing.

It seemed I'd killed two birds with one stone, because as soon as the lollipop touched my tongue, the feather was just like a feather and was a light weight – barely even there.

The fourth feather. It was taste.

**AN: Please review. I didn't get as many reviews for chapter three as I thought... but thank you to those who DID review because frankly, you're awesomesauce. :) Review~!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: *Grins obviously at DarkAngel048***

**I'm sorry for the two week break everybody! But now my holiday to the beach is over and the result of my break is sunburn and a generous amount of mosquito bites. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it warms my heart; those who haven't reviewed this yet, please show your support. :) And now, on with the chapter.**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**CHAPTER FIVE**

I dreamt. It was the first dream I'd had since the well had closed over so long ago – all my other nights had been filled with nightmares. It was good to finally sleep peacefully. And it was also good to wake up peacefully. Sadly, I had no recollection of what my dream had been about, but it had filled me with a light happiness, which was impressive.

I sat up in bed, rubbing the crustiness out of my eyes and finally peering at myself in the mirror. The usually dark bags under my eyes had eased some, but my hair was another matter entirely – it stuck up on my head like it had a life of its own, and I sighed, puffing my lips out like a fish. I flipped my blankets back and slid my legs over the side of the bed, stretching into a standing position. Like usual, I staggered over to my window and lifted it open a notch so the fresh morning air could sweep through my room.

It was one thing to wake up with morning breath, but for your whole room to be full of stale air? Yucky.

I gathered some clothes and hastily darted across the hall and into the bathroom, locking the door behind me and giving myself privacy. It was fairly early in the morning, early enough that it was still at a dim light outside – not yet fully a sunny summer morning – which meant that I would have the shower and the bathroom to myself for a few hours. Not that I needed that long, it was just a comforting thought.

I stripped my pyjamas off and dropped them on the tiles, and I stepped into the hot water and let it hit my face. I tried to ignore the slight stinging sensation the cuts on my legs caused, but soon it became annoying and so I turned around and let the water pummel my back. It felt good, and I tipped my head back and let the warm water run down my face and soak my hair.

Half way through applying conditioner, my eyes popped open and it was safe to say I'd had another epiphany moment – it was like a switch had been flipped in my brain. Dark, the one who'd saved my life… his name was _Dark._ Darkness was the one thing that made me feel peaceful and safe – when it was light everything was exposed and there was no room for imagination because you could see everything. Darkness let you hide; darkness let you imagine. It let me hope that Inuyasha was there to watch over me and keep me safe.

Either it was fate trying to tell me something, or my life just got a whole lot cheesier. Either way, maybe Dark did have some important role in my life.

I washed the conditioner out of my hair frowning and switched the taps off, ignoring their squeaks as the water dripped to a stop. He'd said he was protecting me, but what could he have meant by that? Obviously the feathers had something to do with it, and he'd distinctly said: _You're stronger than I thought. _Had he meant magic?

My heart leaped and I suddenly grinned, my reflection appearing happy before me in the bathroom mirror. Slightly covered in mist, but happy all the same. I rubbed my hand over the mirror with a squeaking noise, making the image of my face clearer so that I could see what I was doing when I blow-dried my hair.

It was 8'o'clock in the morning by the time I'd finished in the bathroom, and I opened the door and stepped out feeling clean and squeaky, the mist oozing out the door and swirling around me like a bad budgeted movie smoke-screen. I felt cheerful as I walked down the stairs to the kitchen – cheerful was a word that had not described my mood in a very long time, so it was safe to say I was feeling sort of drunk.

As usual, my mother was already in the kitchen buttering some toast – she wakes up half way through the night just to begin breakfast, I swear – and when she looked up at me to say good morning, her eyes sparkled because I grinned at her.

I was supposed to be unhappy with her. Something was seriously wrong with me this morning. Or maybe something was right with me. Everything had taken a back seat ever since the well had closed over; Inuyasha was the only thing occupying my mind.

"You have a guest," my mother said as I reached the kitchen door. When I realised that Dark was sitting elegantly with one leg crossed over the other in the chair exactly opposite my eye line, I had to cling to the doorjamb in order to not fall on my butt in shock.

He knew where I lived, now? Though that would make sense, considering the first feather… but that still didn't dampen my shock.

"Good morning Kagome," he smiled, his voice doing that vibrate-y thing over my skin that made me shiver. His dark purple eyes glimmered at me, and when I took a step into the kitchen I had to pause and take a few breaths because his magic began to poke at me, trying to get under my skin. I sat awkwardly in the chair that happened to be the furthest away from Dark and sighed, rubbing my forehead.

I ignored the plate of toast that my mother placed in the centre of the table and continued to rub my forehead, my eyes closed as I frowned.

"Dark tells me that he sent you those beautiful flowers," she smiled. I didn't have to look up to know that her face was full of hope at the prospect of a gorgeous boy that had given me flowers and was conveniently seated opposite the table from me; she wanted me to move on from Inuyasha, and it seemed like fate was trying to push me away from him. But lucky for me, I was stubborn, and unless fate could rip me out of my body and plonk me into another one with different views and feelings, then fate was getting nothing from me.

"Nice toast," I said, reaching for the plate on the table. I shot a look at Dark – who was sitting pleasant and composed across the table from me – and nodded to my mother in acknowledgement.

Suddenly, my mother had something to do in the well house – my heart tugged in my chest at the mention of it – and then she hurriedly left the room. My cheerful mood now completely squashed and torn up, I dropped the toast I was holding onto the tabletop and glared at Dark.

"Get the hell out of my house."

He blinked at me politely.

"Get out."

His magic pushed up against mine and I struggled for a moment, finally standing up in frustration. He said nothing and merely looked at me.

"Out. Now. I don't want you here."

His eyes went all sad-looking, as if I'd kicked his favourite puppy, and a part of me started to give in. I fought it. Finally, he spoke.

"It would probably be better for you if I stayed," he said, threading his fingers together in his lap. He was wearing similar clothes to what he was wearing the other day, except his shirt had an outline of white around its sleeves and his pants may have been a little tighter. The necklace was also gone leaving his neck was completely bare.

I opened my mouth to argue but he held up a hand and for some reason I stopped. Maybe I was surprised at the gesture; or maybe I was just stupid. I should have kept yelling at him to get out and eventually he would have left.

"You felt funny this morning, didn't you?" His expression was cautious. Maybe there was a little concern in his eyes. I scowled.

"Not funny. Just different."

"Different because you're being bewitched," Dark sighed, leaning back in the chair. The long strands of his hair brushed against his bare neck as he moved his head back, and I bit my lip and tore my eyes away from him.

"No," I countered. "Different because for once I didn't have a nightmare."

He rocked forwards in his chair, his elbows leaning on the table in front of him as he stared intensely at me. I was glad he had pulled his magic back, because it gave me the ability to think more clearly. I looked away from his eyes, because they held sorrow. Anger, annoyance, hell, even him being a stalker I could've handled. But not sorrow. He was not allowed to feel sorry for me – he didn't even know me.

"That's how it starts," Dark said quietly, looking down at his clasped hands. He wore a woven black bracelet around one wrist.

"How what starts?" I asked blankly.

"That is how you die."

I froze in my chair, my stomach a knot of ice as I stared at him. His eyes were full of sorrow again, and they looked so sincere. He wasn't lying; or he was lying very well. I took a few steps away from the table and leaned against the bench, never taking my eyes away from his. Neither of us blinked, and we just stared at each other until finally he held his hand out.

"This will help you," was all he said.

Again, I looked at his hand – it was the one that had the woven bracelet around it – and my eyes widened. He was holding a feather out to me, sleek and black and soft, and before I could tell myself to stay where I was I found myself reaching out. I took it from him and twisted it in my fingers so it twirled.

Feather number four. Hearing.

When I looked up again Dark looked pained; his face was screwed up and he was clutching his arms to his stomach as if his appendix was about to go nuclear inside him. He dipped his head so his face was hidden by a cascade of hair and I took a step closer, completely confused as to what was happening. He let out a low moan of pain.

"No, you're not…"

Dark squirmed.

"…no. I'm in control."

He was growling words to himself under his breath. I stared, completely terrified, when suddenly he yelled.

"NO! I said I'd protect her…!"

I had no idea what was going on. Every instinct inside me was screaming at me to bolt like a scared rabbit and never look back. It was so tempting to give in, but I couldn't run from Dark. He'd said I was going to die. He was magic. He had saved my life. He was here, with me. He hadn't abandoned me. I took a step towards him so I was no longer clinging to the bench behind me, when suddenly he looked up at me.

I froze. "Hi chickie," he grinned. The grin was slightly lopsided, and Dark's eyes were no longer purple but instead a blue so light it was almost silver. It was Dark's face, but Dark was no longer home.

"Get out of him," I heard myself say. I felt the world narrow around me so that my focus was only upon Dark's changed appearance and I tried to stare right through him, tried to somehow work my magic into my words so that Dark would come back.

Dark's face shuddered suddenly, and one eye began to fade in colour. It was becoming darker and darker by the second; the creature inside Dark snarled and glared right at me.

"You're very lucky chickie. If he didn't have so much control over me, then I would have a lot of fun with you…"

Dark's eyes turned completely purple and he let out a shaky sigh, collapsing onto the table in front of him and cutting off whatever he'd been about to say to me. He lay his head down in his arms and shivered, and I took a step closer to comfort him even though I had no idea as to what the hell had just happened. And my mother thought I had problems to overcome.

"Don't touch me," Dark whispered; he might have been attempting to sound authoritative, but the most his tone could achieve was a broken tremour. I nodded even though he couldn't see me and sat myself back down in the chair; it took me a second to realise I was shaking.

"What just happened?" I asked quietly. I stared at the table, my vision off-focus so everything was blurry, and when Dark moved his head I blinked and everything became clear again. He smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes.

"That my dear Kagome, is a long story."

I continued to stare at his face, and realised that he'd been crying; tears still leaked silently out of his eyes and he looked down and away from me to preserve – I assumed – whatever dignity he believed he had left.

"I have a lot of time," I prompted.

Dark looked at me slowly, then he sighed very deeply and rubbed his palms against his eyes. When he looked at me again, his tears had come to a stop and his hair fell in straight lengths of purple beside his face. It framed him and made me focus on his deep purple eyes.

"I will tell you another time." I found myself shaking my head from side to side. "No."

He stared at me this time. "No. That's not good enough." I was getting my anger back, this was good. Anger was easier to work with than confusion or sorrow or fear.

I slowly got to my feet and put my hands on my hips. "You give me feathers, you come into my house," I swallowed, "You tell me I'm going to die… And then you treat me like a child and give me the '_I'll tell you another time' _line?"

Dark had his lips pressed together, preventing himself from saying anything. Maybe that was a good choice.

"You're telling me, Dark. Because after all the time I've spent alone without any ties to what and who I loved…" I swallowed my tears, forcing them back because crying would not make me look angry and would undermine any authority I had at this point.

"I've finally found something." I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. "I can taste your magic, feel it pulse against my skin… I can see the feathers you give me. My mother can't, neither can my brother Souta."

He continued to stare, his face blank, but it looked as if it was hard to maintain that vague polite interested look. I took a breath but let it out shaky.

"I want to know," I finished quietly.

**AN: Heh heh, cliffhanger. ;) I hope this all gives you something to ponder~! Review, everybody. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Yay, DarkAngel048~!**

**Wow, thank you so much for reviewing~! It really warms my heart and makes me smile. :) Now, let's continue the story, shall we? Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**CHAPTER SIX**

By now Dark had finished whispering, and I was completely awake. It was past midnight and was completely black outside, so dark it was like the outside of my window was covered in tar. The only thing that told me it wasn't, was the breeze that blew into my room through the small crack from where I'd left it open.

It had been Dark's idea that he come back at night time, when no one except us would know he'd be here. I kind of understood why – Souta was always crashing around and was very obviously present, and mum always watched us; she walked past and said hello, checked on us randomly and made us lunch when we insisted we weren't hungry. Night time was the best time he could come back. Night time was my favourite time, my safe haven. I was comfortable in the darkness, and maybe he could sense that.

Dark sat on the floor, leaning his head against the side of my bed while I sat on the mattress with my legs crossed and my hands in my lap. He'd deliberately sat somewhere where I couldn't comfortably make eye contact with him, and after his story I understood why.

"You must have really cared about Daisuke," I said quietly. I felt the bed move slightly as Dark nodded silently. When he spoke it was in that delicate whisper again.

"Daisuke was like my brother, and I really cared for him. Only, he had fallen for a girl and she had taken up all of his vision. It was like I was squeezed out of his world and he was just suddenly gone."

"Why don't you hate him?" I asked.

Dark shook his head as if it should be obvious to me, and twisted so that he could look up at me. From the dim light of my bedside clock I could just see the sad expression on his face. I wished it was completely pitch black all of a sudden.

"Love is something that you cannot control. It simply happens, and once it's there, it is hard to get rid of." He paused, and I looked away from him and into the darkness outside the window, remembering something my mother once said to me, when I was really young. I hadn't really understood it then, but I did now.

"You can close your eyes to what you don't want to see, but you cannot close your heart to what you don't want to feel," I whispered sadly, Inuyasha's face springing clearly into my mind. After so long of being separated, I still remembered him so clearly; I still remembered the sound of his voice, the softness of his hair and the taste of his magic. I sighed. The dark was supposed to be a reassurance, not an emotional whirlwind of nostalgia and sadness.

"The man I share my body with is not capable of love," Dark said bitterly. I looked back down at him, but his head was turned away again; I would have reached out and run my fingers gently through his hair to comfort him, but he'd told me not to touch him yesterday. I would respect his wishes. My hands remained in my lap.

"I don't understand that part," I admitted. Dark looked at me again and I sighed. "You used to share a body with Daisuke…"

Dark nodded once.

"Now you are separated, and you share a body with another man." I shuddered at the memory of those ice blue eyes and greasy smirk. It didn't suit Dark's face; it was like he'd been possessed, and it had terrified me.

"I guess I am like a myth," he said. Judging by the sound of his voice, he was smiling. I felt his magic wash over my skin, warm and light yet still raising the small hairs on my arms and the back of my neck.

"So, I'm talking to a myth," I mused. Dark sighed against the bed. "It involves magic very different from yours. Magic you probably won't understand," he whispered.

"Probably?"

Dark shot me a look and I frowned.

"It is old magic, very old, crafted into art by a very specific bloodline. And it can be dangerous." Maybe he was right, it was a little difficult to understand, but I stayed silent and let him explain.

Except that he didn't.

"On the topic of magic, where are the feathers I entrusted to you?" He asked.

I leaned over and flicked the switch of my bedside lamp, illuminating the room with light. Both of us were momentarily blinded, but I recovered first and I stepped over Dark's outstretched legs and walked over to my desk. I picked the feathers up and held them in the air in front of me. I'd gone to the trouble of tying them all to a piece of string so that they all stayed together; Dark seemed to approve, and he held his hand out and I placed them in his palm.

"Turn around," he said. I frowned at him, puzzled, and did as he said. After all, I trusted him, and after learning about who he actually was I understood that what I thought was crazy before was actually the work of magic. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who had emotional problems about the past.

Dark tied the string of five feathers around my neck, careful not to touch my skin, when I froze solid. I stared at my mirror, my brain unable to comprehend exactly what I was seeing.

"Dark?"

He tied the knot of my feather necklace. "Mm?"

"Why is the mirror not showing our reflections?"

I felt him abruptly snap his head up behind me, and then he tensed as if he was bracing himself. His words came in a rapid flood to my ear.

"Kagome, what I briefly mentioned this morning is happening right now. Whatever you see when you leave your room will be an illusion, you have to remember this. No matter what happens, don't forget who you are."

I opened my mouth to remark on what strange advice he had just given me, when heat suddenly burst over my skin and it was as if I had been thrown into a giant ball of fire; I screamed, and everything around me disappeared, and I was suddenly sucked from my room, falling deeply into the depths of my mirror.

**AN: Betcha didn't see that one coming...**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: DarkAngel048~! (I wrote this at her request.)**

**Wow, I must say that the reviews for each chapter have slowly gone up... Thank you. :) And a special shout-out to my friend Lies (MELONLORD~!) and also to Chibinelly because frankly, your reviews aren't "Sheep" (heh heh) and have some depth to them. I like fat reviews. ;)**

**ENJOY!**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

I felt groggy. It was the feeling I always got when I woke up in the middle of the night and realised I still had hours of sleep ahead of me. Except what I was lying on wasn't my bed; I stretched, my eyes still closed.

I realised I was still wearing my pyjamas, though; a baggy top and shorts. My eyes shot open and I took in what was around me, squinting in the light. I was sitting on soft green grass, and there were trees in the distance. The sky above me was bright blue and the air was still with no breeze. It was a beautiful day, but my heart leapt into my throat in fear because I had no idea where I was.

"Kagome?"

I froze. Blood seared through my veins. My eyes began to heat up. It was Inuyasha's voice. I battled with myself and the idea of turning around to look into his eyes; it was something I had craved for so long, but what if it was only his voice in my head? If I turned around and saw nothing I might finally break. I chose to squeeze my eyes shut and I ignored the hot tears that trailed down my cheeks and fell into my lap.

"You're not real," I whispered to myself.

Inuyasha snorted, and my stomach clenched with nostalgia at the familiar sound. "I am real. If you stop crying you'd see that."

I slowly opened my eyes, and Inuyasha was sitting in the soft grass in front of me. His eyes were just as I remembered them, brilliant gold. His silver hair flowed over his shoulders and his ears twitched on top of his head. I recalled how soft they were and smiled.

"I'm finally back."

Inuyasha blinked at me, his arms crossed so I couldn't see his clawed hands. His ears twitched and he slowly smiled at me, revealing a fang as he did so. I always loved that smile; my heart did a pathetic little jump in my chest, and I felt myself blushing as he looked at me.

"Why didn't you come back sooner?" He asked. I edged closer to him so the red material of his clothes brushed my bare legs.

"I couldn't," I sighed. I was about to elaborate, when a piercing ache seared through my head. It felt like an anvil had fallen on my skull and I cried out in pain, my vision swimming in dark spots. Inuyasha's golden eyes became wide and he pulled me close to him, cradling me in his arms. He was so warm.

"Kagome, are you all right?" He asked softly. He was worried. My vision was blurry.

"I'm okay," I mumbled groggily, looking around. Again, I took in the surroundings, unable to comprehend that I was actually back in the Feudal Era, safe in Inuyasha's arms. I snuggled into him, burying my face into his clothes. He smelled just as I remembered him, but…

I lifted my head and stared up at him. Something was missing, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

I frowned. "You're different," I said.

"You're stupid," he countered. A typical Inuyasha remark, I thought. A switch flicked on in my brain, and my eyes widened.

"Except you're not typical Inuyasha…"

He continued to stare at me with his golden eyes; the feeling still wasn't there. I must have stared at him too long without changing my expression because he frowned at me and cocked his head to one side in wonderment and confusion. I blinked.

"I can't taste your magic," I whispered, pushing against his chest. His arms fell away from me and I stumbled to my feet. He watched me from where he sat, utterly too innocent for the usually angry hanyou that I knew him to be.

I collapsed to my knees as pain shot through my left shin. "Don't move." I meant to yell it at Inuyasha, but it only came out as an angry whisper. My skin tingled and the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end. Something was definitely wrong. I wiped the tears away from my eyes and sniffed; for the first time since Inuyasha had appeared, I noticed the ring of feathers around my neck.

Dark's voice echoed through my head.

_Whatever you see when you leave your room will be an illusion, you have to remember this._

Was Inuyasha an illusion? I stared up at him through the locks of my dark hair, and he was still sitting in the same place he had been before, his eyes full of worry for me as he clasped his hands together inside his red sleeves; he was leaning slightly forward in worry, but he hadn't moved, like I'd told him.

Sadness opened in me like a void and tears leaked down my face, falling into the soft grass beneath me. The pain in my shin was gone now, just like the pain in my head. Both had disappeared right after they had come. The feathers around my neck hung by their thread, and I stared down at them.

"Inuyasha," I sighed, blinking slowly. "I'm going to miss you so much," I whispered brokenly.

Inuyasha sprung to his feet, his eyes wide as he stretched out his arms and reached for me. He wasn't fast enough – if he was the real Inuyasha, he would have been fast enough. I grabbed the feather necklace with both hands and slammed my magic into it; I felt through my magic how intricate the feathers were, and how my magic interweaved with Dark's, twirling and clinging together like a vine attached to a tree. My surroundings swam in a blur of colour, blending and merging together and slowly disappearing and fading away.

I gasped, my eyes popping open. I was in a small room with wooden floorboards and no glass where the windows should be. Dark was standing in front of me protectively, and I was slumped against the wall; I felt slightly dizzy.

"Kagome, thank god, Kagome…" he mumbled under his breath. I frowned, rubbing my forehead. My eyes widened in surprise when my fingers came away bloody. I jumped violently when a deep growling laugh erupted from whatever Dark was facing and all I could do was stare.

"It seemed I got what I wished," the man grinned. It was that same lopsided smirk that I'd seen on Dark's face, except now it seemed to match the face it was on. His hair fell to his shoulders in greasy knots, his eyes a piercing icy blue. His shirt had stains all over it and was un-tucked; he also wore baggy grey pants and tennis shoes that were supposed to be white but were caked with so much mud and grit it was impossible to tell what their actual colour was intended to be.

"You share Dark's body," I managed to say. Dark glanced back at me and I felt my stomach knot when I realised he had a bloody gash on his cheek. Hopefully it wasn't too deep.

"We're not sharing anything anymore," he mused, pacing from one wall to the other with his hands behind his back. Dark straightened so he was standing normally, rather than in the protective stance he had been crouched in. Maybe my being talkative had altered the situation.

"And we won't ever be again. I'm finally in my own body," Dark said. His tone was fairly neutral, but I could almost sense the amount of emotion that would show in his eyes.

"Dark, where are we?"

He answered me while still looking at the man across the room – I'd never been told his name, nor did I particularly want to know. "We're in the mirror you bought," he said.

I rubbed my shin and winced because it was bruised. It hurt. "I know that much," I muttered impatiently. "I meant where is this place?"

I'd been in the Feudal Era, the place that I'd wanted to visit every day since I'd been blocked from it. This mirror transported you to where you most desired to be; someplace in your past. Out of all the beautiful places Dark could have been, he chose a small room with wooden floorboards and musty boxes stacked against the walls, but why?

Before Dark could answer me, the room shook and I gasped. Dark grabbed me by my arms and lifted me to my feet, supporting me by snaking an arm around my waist. I would have felt embarrassed because I was still in my pyjamas, but I was too scared to be embarrassed.

"We've got to move, now," Dark said in my ear. The man across the room narrowed his eyes at us as Dark whispered to me. He took a step forward as Dark raised a hand towards me; I nodded, understanding. I'd escaped my desired world, I was breaking the mirror's spell; this world was shattering, and it was taking with it everything that it had absorbed.

At the same time, both Dark and I slammed magic into the feathers around my neck. They acted like a beacon, glowing with a bright light as our magic clashed and wound more tightly together. The light became so bright I ended up burying my face in Darks chest, and he held me close to one side of his body.

I heard the man yell and lunge for us, but he was too late, as Inuyasha had been. We were already gone, blinded by the white light as we disappeared. I felt something pulse next to me, and I dared a peek to see what it was.

They were wings, as black as midnight, and they were attached to Dark. I buried my face in the material of his soft shirt again and squeezed my eyes shut. I trusted him, just as I did Inuyasha. He would bring me home safely. He would get me out in one piece.

**AN: Yay, Dark has magical wings. :) Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter - please review! They're like a warm drink on a cold day. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: *Pokes at DarkAngel048 with a black feather***

**Thanks to all of the people who reviewed; it has such an impact and makes me smile when I see one in my inbox. :) In return, I hope I make you smile when you see another of my chapters are up. :) Continue reviewing~! :D**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"Kagome, are you all right?"

Dark's voice. It did what it always did, lingering on my skin and sending shivers down my spine. I inhaled slowly before I spoke, letting the sensation die down before I formed words.

"I can't see," I whispered. My fingers clung to the front of Dark's soft shirt, but he didn't try to pry me off him. He held me gently to his side and we stood there together, unable to let go of each other.

"I can't either," he replied softly. A part of me began to panic, but it was as if it was distant a dull and I didn't pay enough attention to it; like I had with Inuyasha. I focused on him, not my life. I'd rejected myself for so long, too fixed on someone else.

"I can kind of empathise with you," I said quietly to Dark. I felt him move slightly next to me – confusion, perhaps? He didn't speak, he just waited.

"How you share another person's body; I shared with Inuyasha."

I paused, biting my lip and pushing back my tears; I wasn't sure what emotion I was feeling, but I knew I was overwhelmed, and I was aware tears were on their way.

"I put him first, I thought about him first, and I never paid attention to me. He took over my life." I was sick of crying, sick of feeling lonely. Sick of being in the dark. But now I was _with_ Dark, and I didn't have to be consumed by it anymore.

"I didn't live," I said slowly, blinking. I felt a warm hand gently brush a tear my cheek; I hadn't realised I was crying, and I turned to look at Dark. His face was slightly blurry, but I could make out where his eyes were. He was smiling sadly.

"Neither did I," he whispered. He smudged another tear on my face with his thumb and gently pressed his lips to my forehead. "But now I can."

He pulled back so he could look at my face, and for a few moments we just stood staring at each other. I felt his hand where he held my waist, my shirt slightly bunched up so two of his fingers were pressed warmly to my skin; I curled my fingers in his soft shirt; his hair tickled my face; I saw my reflection in his eyes, and slowly a smile came to my lips.

A tear rolled slowly down his cheek, warm and wet, and landed on the top of his lip. I brushed it away with my thumb and his mouth parted, his hot breath almost making me jump as it hit my hand. Dark's free hand brushed some hair behind my ear, and he left it there so his palm was resting on my neck, my pulse vibrating underneath his fingertips.

He laughed suddenly, his chest moving up and down. It was a quiet, happy, free laugh filled with promise. It made me smile, and fresh tears sprung to my eyes. He pulled me close and held me, the side of my face pressed gently against his warm chest; our magic swirled around us, weaving and twirling. It filled me with tingles, and I gasped, pulling away from Dark.

I found his deep purple eyes resting on me, staring intensely down at me. "Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?" I found myself replying, sitting down on the edge of my bed. Dark stayed where he was in the centre of my room.

"You freed me," he said simply. I looked at him, my eyes still watery. "Daisuke found happiness with Riku, but I had to fade away. When I came to, the person whose body I shared was a foul man's who held no morals. I don't know how many generations I skipped…"

Dark wiped his face again. He was crying. "I was in his head, and he was in mine." I motioned to a spot next to me on the edge of the bed, and slowly Dark stumbled his way over, flopping down next to me, his head resting forlornly in his hands so I couldn't see his face.

"He thought the most awful things… If I wasn't strong enough to compress him, I knew I'd have to witness-," Dark's breathing hitched, and I felt his magic change. It still felt like Dark, but it spiked like his emotions, becoming thick like honey. I would have drowned in it if I hadn't had my own magic to defend myself; Dark didn't realise the effect he could have.

I pushed a lump of my magic into his, and it was like he was suddenly electrocuted; he flinched. He sat up and stared me right in the eyes, but it wasn't an angry stare. More one of confusion, surprise, and loss.

"I don't even know if Daisuke is still alive," he whispered brokenly. I stared at my reflection in his eyes and I slowly brought my hand up to his cheek. He relaxed into me, his eyes sliding closed, and I brought his head slowly down so it was resting in my lap. I comforted him like you would a child, stroking his hair and face gently while his eyes were peacefully shut.

At first I thought he was the stronger one; the pushy magic, the confidence in how he acted, and how he'd come into my house. But now I realised I'd been the stronger one; I'd lived through being shut off from the Feudal Era. I'd been visiting it for so long that when I came back the roles had reversed, and it was like I was visiting my house, and then going back home to the past. I had confused myself, but I had never had to share a body with anyone.

Dark had almost literally been two people. He'd shared Daisuke's experiences, like he was an angel on the boy's shoulder, and then he'd had it all torn away. A huge chunk of his life just completely gone, and on top of that he'd had to wake up in another person's mind. I found myself crying for Dark, and I sniffled, trying to get the tears to stop.

Dark had almost lost himself; his magic began to leech out without his control, he'd barely been able to hold himself together… He hadn't even been able to touch me, and if so very briefly. But now the person whose body he'd been sharing was gone, shattered inside the mirror and lost, and now Dark was completely himself.

"Thank you Kagome," he said, gently touching my arm. He smiled up at me, and then closed his eyes tiredly, heaving a sigh of content. It was then that I realised that I had a male in my bed in the middle of the night and my bedroom window was wide open. How was I going to explain all of this to my mother in the morning? I bit my lip and almost laughed as I imagined her expression and what she'd say.

I gently rearranged Dark so he lay with his head comfortably on one of my pillows, and I sighed, lying myself down next to him. It was a warm night, so both of us ignored the thick blanket we were on top of and closed our eyes to the darkness.

I rolled onto my side and tucked a hand underneath my pillow, scrunching my knees up so I was almost like a human ball. I swallowed a shocked "eep" when Dark was suddenly at my back, his face resting against the back of my neck. An arm curled around me and he pulled me close so that his stomach was pressed against me, and his warm slow breathing tickled the back of my neck; the tears he'd shed still clung to his face and nose, some of it smudging onto my skin.

I smiled and buried my face in my pillow, snuggled up to Dark, content and warm. I'd been sucked into a magical mirror, I'd met an illusion of Inuyasha created by my mind, and I'd escaped a fantasy world by hugging Dark as he flew me away to safety. And yet the only thing that occupied my mind right then, was that I was safe.

I was me.

Even though Inuyasha wasn't physically with me, a part of me was sure I'd always love and remember him. But I had to start living in the present, and after spending so long engulfed in the past, it was time for a change.

**AN: Yes, I did a time pun. Cheesy, and yet so right. :P**

**Review everyone~! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Early update, go wild~! Haha. :) Because the reviews have stopped, I presume that everyone who's alerted me and such has read everything, so I'm updating again with a really long chapter! Why, you ask? I am awesome. :D And I like Dark and Kagome. ;)**

**Enjoy everybody and don't forget to show your appreciation~!**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**CHAPTER NINE**

Someone gently stroked my face, running their fingertips over my cheeks and along my nose. I hugged the blanket that was covering me and sighed, not wanting to open my eyes. But now the stroking had lightened so that it became a gentle tickle, and it was begging to feel annoying. I wrinkled my nose and rolled over so that I was facing the other way.

Dark was missing.

My eyes opened and I found myself lying safely on my bed under a blanket, the sun shining through my window and coating everything in a white light. I sat up and stared down at the blanket in my lap; I'd gone to sleep last night without it. So why was it covering me? And where was Dark?

"Kagome?"

I'd known someone was there – who else had been stroking my face? – but the sound of another's voice still made me start and swivel my head so I was staring straight at them.

"Mum?" I said incredulously. She smiled, her eyes glimmering as the skin around them crinkled, and she held out a crumpled piece of paper with scribbly writing on it. I took it with a frown of confusion and quickly read it.

_Mrs. Higurashi,_

_I believe that your daughter has something extremely important to talk to you about._

"That's it?" I asked disbelievingly. Obviously it was from Dark, but I had next to no idea what he was talking about. Was I supposed to apologise? Tell her Dark was in my bed cuddling me last night? I bit my lip. Maybe I was supposed to tell her I got sucked into my mirror?

My mother remained silent while she watched thoughts shoot across my face and disappear, followed rapidly by another and then another. Several quiet moments passed before she spoke, prompting me.

"If now is not a good time, you can talk to me when you feel ready."

I shook my head. "No, I'm just confused," I said truthfully. I gazed down at the crumpled blankets I'd unconsciously wound my fingers in and let my thoughts twist and tangle like the blankets had. I came up with the mirror, and the appearance of Inuyasha.

My throat tightened and I swallowed heavily, breathing air in through my nose. My mother had taken a seat on my desk chair and was patiently waiting for me to speak, her hands gently folded in her lap. I looked up at her and took a steady breath.

"I had a dream about Inuyasha last night," I said. It was partially a lie, but it had some truth to it; the Inuyasha I'd seen in the mirror had been a figment of my imagination, conjured up to please me visually. But he hadn't sported the particular qualities that I knew Inuyasha definitely had – his stubbornness, his constant frustration, and his inability to obey orders. He wasn't real; wasn't that what a dream was? Unreal and untrue?

My mother remained quiet and waiting, but I saw the muscles in her hands tighten with an unspoken tension. I ignored it, staring back down at my own hands.

"I realised that I'm never going to see him again…" I swallowed the thickness of approaching tears in determination; I'd cried over Inuyasha enough. No matter how much I missed him, I wouldn't cry for him anymore.

"I know I have to put the past behind me," I said. "I need to put myself first."

Finally, I looked up and I met my mother's eyes; I almost did a double-take. They were glittering with tears and crinkled around the edges from where she was smiling at me. Without saying a word, she stood up, walked a few steps towards me and threw her arms around me in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you've finally found yourself," she said quietly in my ear. I wound my arms up around her back to return her hug, and found to my surprise, a small smile on my face.

"I just wanted you to be whole again."

My eyes widened and I pulled away from the hug, my gaze resting on my mother's face. I was leaning away from her, unsure, a slight frown of confusion visible on my face.

"Is that why you never acknowledged Inuyasha's existence after the well closed over?" I asked solemnly. Her face was wet with tears as she blinked at me.

"He was only real inside your head," she said slowly, carefully. "You needed to start fresh, and embrace your life. You couldn't do that if Inuyasha was still clouding every one of your thoughts."

There was a brief silence and I tugged the blankets up to my neck with my fingers, my eyes partially wide as I looked at my mother. She was right, and she loved me still, and I had been so nasty to her…

"I love you."

Well, that was what I was meant to say. Instead it came out as a mumbled sob because I'd burst into tears. They ran hot and wet down my face and my mum pulled me close and held me, stroking my hair so her fingers gently brushed it down my back. Eventually, I focused on the soothing motion, and my tears slowly came to an end. I still shook, and I buried my face in her shoulder, squeezing my eyes closed and breathing in her smell.

She smelled of toast. That was different.

I pulled away and looked up at her, my face foggy with tears and still wet. She looked at me, her expression warm and motherly and open, just how I'd wanted her to look at me throughout all of the time I was thinking of Inuyasha. I almost broke into tears again, but this time I just managed to swallow them.

"Why do you smell like toast…?" I whispered. I wanted to speak normally, but my voice was thick and heavy.

She smiled. "I made toast a little while ago. Someone knocked on the door and politely asked if he could intrude and have breakfast with you."

My heart jumped and I sat up straight, my eyes wide with hope.

"Dark?"

She looked puzzled at how happy I was all of a sudden, but didn't ask. I'd already cried all of my tears into her shoulder; I could tell her about how I felt about Dark later – though she would probably guess how I felt as soon as I met him in the kitchen for my breakfast (not that she would hang around).

"He said he'd wait for you. He's in the kitchen."

He'd been waiting for me? How long had I slept? How long had I been in here with my mother? I jumped up flustered, my eyes wide and my hair bouncing around like a crazy newborn puppy whose senses had suddenly been assaulted with brand new sights and smells. And much like a newborn puppy that wasn't yet used to their limbs, I stumbled over and had to catch the corner of my desk for support. I straightened myself up, and turned slowly to face my mother. She was still sitting on my bed, watching me with a smile on her face.

"I'll get out of your way so you can get dressed," she said easily, politely. I hadn't had a long conversation with my mother ever since the well had sealed over; it was strange suddenly having her polite and loving again. I missed that. I had missed her. I smiled and thanked her as she shut my door and then turned frantically to my drawers.

What could I possibly wear?

I tore open the first drawer with a scraping noise, in hot pursuit of a nice piece of clothing. Within seconds I had picked out three possibilities; they were all lovely shirts. Cut nicely, pretty colours, quite appropriate. I was holding them up to myself to test what they looked like as I stared at my reflection, when I remembered the scalding fire that had engulfed me the last time I had looked into this mirror; I hastily turned away.

What was I thinking? I scoffed to myself. Dark had seen me in my pyjamas, my hair had been an absolute mess – what did he care if I wasn't dressed exactly right?

I threw on a simple pair of denim short-shorts, and a black t-shirt with white writing on it. I hadn't worn it in so long because I hadn't felt happy enough to imply a sarcastic joke. Now I felt happy; nervous about seeing Dark and walking down my stairs to greet him, but happy nonetheless. I quickly ran a brush through my hair and put it up in a ponytail.

I must've slept on it funny, because a particular section of it stuck out like it had been electrocuted; I shrugged. There was nothing I could do about it now. I took a quick glance back in my mirror to check for my reflection, and when I found it looking back at me I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out of my bedroom door and walked down the stairs.

"Hello?" I said as I stepped into the kitchen. It was rather quiet and I felt the nervous ball in my stomach tighten into a mass of knots. Dark was standing at the bench, shoveling pancakes onto a plate so they were stacked high. He wore a black singlet – tight, of course – with a buttoned-up grey vest over the top. His pants looked like the same tight black jeans he wore, but I couldn't be sure. He hadn't noticed me yet, and he picked up the maple syrup to drown the pancakes in.

I leaned on the doorjamb. "What if I don't like maple syrup?" I asked.

Dark didn't move from what he was doing, and held the maple syrup in mid-pour motion so the contents of the bottle remained just at the rim. His dark purple eyes flicked up to meet mine, and he smiled a warm smile which sent goosebumps up my arms. He didn't need magic to cause a reaction that time.

"I never thought of that," he mused teasingly, blinking once at me. "Do you like maple syrup, Kagome?" This time he infused magic with his words, and I felt it tickle my skin; I smiled.

"Go ahead and pour it on. I like pancakes with my maple syrup." He chuckled and tipped the bottle so the sugary liquid pooled over the pancakes, hitting the edge of the plate as it ran down the sides of the pancakes and accumulated at the bottom. He capped the syrup bottle and put it back in the cupboard where it was supposed to go, and I nodded my approval – the pancakes were well and truly drowned.

I went to step behind the bench with him to get out the cutlery, but he held out a hand to stop me; he wound an arm around the small of my back and guided me to a chair, which he pulled out from the table and gestured for me to sit down in. I did.

"Your breakfast is served."

Dark gave me a fork and then brought the pile of pancakes to the table, which he set down in the middle of us. He then seated himself and brandished his own fork.

"I hope you enjoy your meal," he smiled, "I cooked it myself, even though your mother protested."

I cut a section out of a bottom pancake and was in the process of chewing it when I raised my eyebrows; he'd cooked for me? Then why did mum say she'd made toast already? I swallowed.

"Didn't mum make toast?" I echoed my thoughts. Dark licked the maple syrup from his fork slowly, and I looked away. When I looked back, he was regarding me with a raised eyebrow, amusement and curiosity on his face. He nodded.

"Yes, I was hungry," he admitted, shrugging.

I opened my mouth to ask why he was eating with me if he had already eaten, but instead of words coming out of my mouth I shoved some pancake in – who cares? Maybe he was still hungry. I wasn't going to question something that didn't need questioning. I ate the delicious pancakes and syrup in silence, because my stomach had finally woken up and I was starving.

When I was finally licking the maple syrup from my fork, the plate empty in front of me, I sighed contentedly. Dark had the tips of the fork in his mouth pressed between his lips, and he raised his eyebrows at me; I nodded.

"It was really good," I sighed. He smiled.

I stood up with a stretch and put my fork down on the empty plate – Dark did the same – and slightly shook myself because I'd been sitting for a little while. Dark's eyes were on my t-shirt.

"_Oh, I get it. Like humour, but different?_" He questioned. I shrugged. "It was on sale, and I liked it."

He stood up himself, smiling at me as he stretched. I wondered if he was going to say something corny like 'Well I like you' but he didn't. Instead, he stopped me from clearing the plate up off the table and gently touched my neck with his fingertips; the sudden intimate touch surprised me but it made me close my eyes. I felt him come close, and he brushed his lips slowly across mine; I felt him smile as they stuck together from the maple syrup.

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing, but he took it the wrong way and began to pull his face away from mine; my heart tugged at me. Before he could get too far away from me, I brought my hand up and ran it through his soft hair, my fingertips brushing the side of his face; the ends of his hair tickled my arm. He smiled, and I stepped closer and licked the maple syrup off my lips.

We stood there looking at each other for a moment, silence engulfing us, when he brought his lips to mine and I closed my eyes. He kissed me sweetly, savouring the moment, and yet his arm pulled me closer so the lines of our bodies were pressed together, which told me there was something else lurking behind his amused, flirty demeanor. I kissed him back, running my hand past his long hair which hung at the front of his face, to what I presumed to be the shorter parts at the back of his head. His hair was light and soft to the touch, his mouth warm on mine.

I pulled away from him, and stared up at him with a half-frown. "Since when is your hair longer?" I asked slowly. We were only centimeters apart and his warm breath caught my cheeks as he sighed, pressing his forehead against mine.

"I've waited so long to kiss you," he breathed against me. I felt warmth flush my cheeks and I directed my gaze downwards, embarrassed. "Last night when we came out of the mirror, I still wasn't sure if I could or not. It's why I kissed your forehead."

Even though the last part was supposed to be teasing, I still frowned, puzzled, and pulled away slightly to look him in the eye. "What do you mean?"

He sighed quietly, his hand dropping from the comfortable place it had taken at my neck, and he weaved his fingers gently through mine instead.

"It's time I told you about Krad."

**AN: A lot of you have mentioned Krad, so here's the foreshadowing. (Very obvious foreshadowing...) ) I hope you liked the kiss~! (And the long chapter!) Review please, everyone. :D**

**Also, my apologies for not responding or not remembering your name, but I spell pyjamas with a y because of where I'm from. :) Sorry if there was any confusion, hehe.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hello everybody~! Oh, and thank you to Sin of the Fallen – that cake was very delicious. ;)**

**Enjoy this chapter~!**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**CHAPTER TEN**

"Krad?" I asked, completely confused. Dark and I had moved from the kitchen to sit comfortably on the couch in the lounge room. He was seated at one end and I was spread out with my legs across is lap, my feet resting on the couch's arm. He was trailing his fingertips mindlessly over my legs while I talked.

"Isn't that just your name backwards?"

Dark sighed, his breath leaving his body through his mouth in a heavy puff of air. His fingers paused over my legs for a moment before they took up their familiar rhythm again, and the knot in my stomach slowly tightened a little bit more.

Dark had brought me in here to sit down, so that either meant he wanted to cuddle with me on the couch (which was kind of happening, but not really) or whatever he had to tell me was important and required something soft underneath me to prevent me from falling over when I was actually informed of said mysterious Krad.

I was voting on the latter.

"You remember that I told you how I shared a body with Daisuke?" He asked slowly. I could almost see his mind as various parts tried to fit together in a coherent way in which he could explain his situation to me.

I nodded – he had been a part of Daisuke, a magical link in his familial line. He had grown to love the boy as a brother, but then he'd had it all torn away from him when Daisuke fell in love. It wasn't Daisuke's fault – who could control love? – but it still hurt Dark to lose him, all the same.

"Krad was like my other half."

"Okay," I said, pulling my legs away from him so they were crossed underneath me. I faced him, but he was sitting in a way that he had to turn his head to the side in order to look me in the eye. "So you're telling me you're only half a person?" I asked slowly.

I was as confused as a cow on synthetic grass.

Dark shook his head. "Not anymore." I cocked my head, confused. I'm glad all I had to care about inside me was me. I don't think I could stand having multiple people inhabiting my body – it was a cruel invasion of space. I barely even coped with my brother and at least I could kick him out of the room if he was annoying…

Dark sighed, twisting to me so the side of his face gently lay on the backrest of the couch. He was looking up at me, his deep purple eyes locked on my face and all I could do was stare back. He was beautiful and yet he'd been so sad. I stretched a hand out towards him and ran my fingertips along his face. He smiled.

"Krad is my other half, and when I inhabit a body he usually does, too." Dark frowned slightly, then continued, shrugging. "Think of us as like yin and yang. It takes both of us to be completely whole, and yet we were separated by magic – I don't know how – and thrust into different bodies."

Wow, this was a lot to absorb. My mind reeled.

I let my fingers stay lightly hovering against his cheek as I frowned, thoughtful. My eyes drifted over his face to his hair; it was still a dark, rich purple with long sections at the front that trailed down his torso like a raindrop down a window. I ran my fingers through it, my eyes following my movements, until I reached the back of his head.

He'd bunched his hair in a ponytail that trailed down his back, almost as long as my forearm. You don't just spontaneously grow hair that long. But Dark was proving to be one interesting magical mystery to me.

"Why is your hair long now?" I asked, my eyes flicking back to meet his. I realised he'd been watching my face this whole time and a blush spread itself up my cheeks and made them light pink and warm.

"Because Krad is a part of me now."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Dark remained still and relaxed-looking as he rested his head against the back of the couch. "When I was separated from that man – when he got trapped in the mirror – and we escaped, I was in my own body," he said slowly, probably piecing his sentence together as the thoughts melded in his mind.

I nodded; I got that part.

"And because I now occupy my own body, I needed to be whole again." Dark suddenly moved and pressed his lips to mine, his hand threading his fingers into my hair; he was soft, warm and wet and I let out a breath when he pulled away.

"I can't thank you enough for keeping me together," he said quietly, his face so close to mine that I could feel his breath on my skin. But I couldn't feel his magic anymore – I said so, and he smiled at me.

"That is what I mean," Dark said. "When we left the mirror –

"You mean when you flew us out," I interrupted.

– and we were in your room, I felt like I was going to drown."

I looked at him almost with disbelief. I'd really helped that much? All I'd done was cry. I hadn't done anything. He continued.

"As soon as we got our sight back, my magic started to realign. Krad came back to my body. He almost drowned me, and if you weren't there he would have succeeded."

I felt like I'd just been struck in the forehead with a frying pan. Well, at least that's what my expression probably looked like. So that meant it was thanks to me that I was looking at Dark's face right now instead of his strange other half?

"That doesn't explain how I helped you," I said.

Dark frowned, sitting with his back straight so his face wasn't right near mine now; I was a little miffed that he wasn't there anymore to keep me warm. How petty.

"Have you done Psychology at school before?" He asked after a moment's pondering. Was he joking? I had barely attended school thanks to the Feudal Era.

"Nope."

He sighed; that probably wasn't the answer he was looking for.

"Well, Krad is like my temperament," he said at last. I'd heard of temperament before – but that didn't mean I knew the proper definition.

"Temperament is basically the raw building blocks that make up your personality and who you are," he said quickly so I didn't get a chance to speak in between. I was starting to see where he was coming from.

"So Krad was your temperament? Your raw emotions?"

Dark nodded, a grim smile on his face. "He often preferred anger, especially when he was attacking Daisuke and I in Satoshi's body."

I was going to ask who Satoshi was, but I didn't get a chance to.

"That's how you saved me – you thrust your magic into mine when Krad's started to leak out and over me, and that helped me push him down."

Oh. Well that made sense. I wish he'd just said that in the beginning. I smiled at him and kissed him quickly; he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"It seems like we've saved each other, then," I smiled.

He had distracted me from Inuyasha, proven to me that magic was real and that it was a part of us both, and he had saved my life with the magic in his feathers. I had prevented him from being taken over by Krad, and I'd helped him look at his past and become whole.

He smiled slowly back at me, a shine in his eyes. "It seems we have."

**AN: Hee, cheesy ending. :) But called for. Sorry this chapter took so long, I got really caught up. And I think this will be the last chapter – don't worry though! I shall write an epilogue. :)**

**Please review!**


	11. Epilogue

**AN: Please, enjoy. :) I will chat at the end.**

Disclaimer: I don't own DNAngel or Inuyasha.

**EPILOGUE**

It had been two weeks since I had sat leisurely on the couch with Dark and discussed the fact that he was whole again – no creepy man, no Daisuke, and combined with Krad. Even though he'd explained himself as thoroughly as he could to me, I still saw him as a complete mystery.

Maybe that was some of his appeal? A tall, dark, handsome stranger appears in my life and saves me, then claims I've saved him. And on top of that he's magical. Quite an interesting life, I must have? Well, that'd be right.

On weekdays I used to travel to the past and fight demons; I used to collect segments of a jewel that I had shattered by mistake. And then I had wished upon it. I had never been able to travel to Inuyasha since. Sometimes I cursed this jewel, and other times I looked back on my memories and smiled to myself, because that jewel had been what had led me to Dark in the first place. If I hadn't met Inuyasha, or gone to the Feudal Era, I would never have truly discovered my magic and the mirror would have stolen me away and I would have disappeared forever.

So really it all boiled down to my cat Buyo who was annoying and fat and had decided to have a wander that day I fell into the well. So technically Buyo introduced me to Dark. I'd told Dark these thoughts when he conveniently held Buyo on his lap; the cat looked like a fat, fluffy marshmallow, and Dark's fingers disappeared in Buyo's fur when he patted him. Dark had laughed at me and shrugged his shoulders.

"If this cat introduced me to you Kagome, then I owe him a lifetime of thanks." Buyo purred.

After that I pretty much felt my whole face catch fire with its blush - I could've made a tomato jealous.

Dark had smiled at me and gently placed my fat marshmallow cat on the floor, and then he'd walked across my carpet and would his arms around my back, pulling me into the comforting warmth of his chest. He was wearing his uniform at the time – it smelled old and dusty – and I smiled up at him, biting my bottom lip as I pulled his hat from his head and placed it snugly on my own.

I looked seductively up at him and trailed my fingers along its smooth rim; he watched me slowly, and a tingle went down my spine as a gradual grin spread across his lips. He leaned in, licking his lips so they glistened, and just when I thought he was going to kiss me, he grinned instead and stole back his hat.

I pulled away from him, shaking my head loftily, though he knew I was joking. "You can keep it anyway," I said, "It smells like dust."

I looked carefully at him from the corner of my eye, my heart beating like a drum while my stomach muscles curled tightly like an adder; he always made me feel like this, it was downright unfair, especially since he didn't show any hint of how I made him feel. Did he have the same reaction when he laid eyes on me? I hoped he did, and I was stupid even to doubt it – why would he be with me if he didn't like me in the first place? – but he never openly displayed it.

The idea that he'd had a lot of practice at hiding his feelings made my heart tug inside my chest; so much sorrow had past. It shouldn't still be hovering over him like a rainy storm cloud. He raised an eyebrow at me, leaning back against my desk so that I stood alone in the centre of my room.

"It smells dusty for a reason," Dark said matter-of-factly. "That's generally what museums and galleries smell like."

I crossed the floor of my bedroom, my toes squishing in the soft carpet underneath my feet, and I came to a halt right in front of him, my nose a hair's breadth away from his. He tilted his head at me.

"Don't you ever get bored? They're long shifts." I know I'd get bored if I was the only one patrolling a particular area of a dull art gallery all day long. I certainly missed him all day long – so much my insides began to ache (embarrassing, but true).

"I don't get bored, you know I love artwork." He smiled at me; we still hadn't moved our faces. We stared at each other intensely and had our conversation as if we were sitting metres away from each other or in separate rooms. That was the strange thing about Dark and I. We could be touching or completely disconnected from each other, and yet we were still able to spark that chemistry. I never had that with Inuyasha.

Sure, I ached when I left the Feudal Era, but that was as insignificant as a single raindrop amidst a storm compared to what I felt when Dark's voice filled my ears.

"Maybe I could come and visit you?" I suggested, grinning. He sighed, his expression becoming a mix of emotions. I easily picked out annoyance and sadness.

"They don't let me have visitors during my shifts," he sighed.

I frowned for a moment, thinking. Dark watched me, his deep purple eyes shining with amusement. I liked that he knew me well enough now to expect something silly to come out of my mouth.

"Maybe I could go undercover, dress as another guard?" I grinned, mimicking his trademark movement of raising one eyebrow. He regarded me with genuine surprise, which then flashed between several indistinguishable emotions that simply confused me.

"That Kagome, would be rather ironic," he smiled.

Before I could ask about what an earth he was talking about, he closed the tiny gap between us and kissed me. His fingers traced up my neck and into my hair, pushing me further into him, and I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him even closer. I'd doubted him just moments ago – now I felt like an utter fool. Of course he cared about me.

His sorrow still played a part in how he acted around me – around everyone. It would take time for him to trust me and be fully open, just like it would take time for me to open my heart again. I'd opened myself to Inuyasha, and he may as well have poked me with Tetsusaiga and claimed I was an idiot – in truth, I had been. I was wounded, but now Dark was helping me heal.

We'd trust each other, but that would come with time and experience. I wasn't the optimistic hot-headed girl I had been when I'd fallen into the well. I'd changed, and I'd grown, and I was better for doing so.

I smiled, and Dark nuzzled my cheek gently with his nose; I felt his warm voice vibrate with magic against my skin.

"I have to go soon," he whispered. My stomach clenched and unclenched, and a warm tingle ran up my spine as his magic washed over me. I could never tire of that feeling.

"I know," I sighed, my eyes closed. "I hate that you work nightshift."

He pulled away from me slowly, his fingers still tangled in my hair, and shrugged – there was nothing he could do. He'd found work, like my mother had asked, and now he had to do it. Working was the condition that went with Dark staying at our house; he'd had nowhere else to go.

"I'll see you in the morning," he said gently. I let my arms slip back from around his waist and I folded my hands together in front of me, nodding.

"I'll miss you," I said, sighing. As he pushed himself off my desk and into a proper standing position, he put his hands on mine and kissed my forehead.

"I'll make you pancakes tomorrow morning," he promised. I smiled at him as he grinned at me, blowing me a final kiss as he exited my bedroom. I flopped backwards, falling onto my bed and bouncing a few times before I finally came to a stop, and I stared up at my plain ceiling.

I pulled my blankets up around my neck, snuggling into my mattress and pillows, and began to miss Dark already; he used to lie next to me at night, his arms around me, and sometimes I wouldn't even need a blanket I was that warm. I tilted my head to stare at the pitch blackness outside my window, and let a smile ghost across my lips. Pancakes in the morning – it was a promise I would definitely hold him to.

**AN: So, that's it everybody! :) I hope you enjoyed yourselves – and the "undercover guard" was a reference to the first episode of DNAngel. ;D**

**Thank you to all of you lovely reviewers, because you're an amazing light that ensures I continue writing – you inspire me and make me smile, so a huge thanks to you all. :)**

**This is the first ever crossover fic I've done, so I hope it was well-received. (I've also published an Avatar: The Last Airbender / I Am Number Four oneshot, so be sure to check that out too.)**

**Anyway, my last words are those of a happy author – review please, and have a wonderful day. :)**


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